2328contents

2003 MAR 26 - APR 1 NEWS

IN THIS ISSUE

LDP LINKS 'IRAQ RECONSTRUCTION' TO WARTIME LEGISLATION
LDP leaders seek the quick passage of 'contingency' bills through the Lower House to enable the Self-Defense Forces to go abroad and assist in U.S. military occupation of Iraq. more

VOTE FOR JCP AND DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES
In a published statement for the simultaneous local elections, the Japanese Communist Party Central Committee called on the people to make the polls places to vote for peace. more

DISCRETIONARY WORK SYSTEM INCREASES UNPAID-OVERTIME
Japanese Communist Party in the Diet said that the 'discretionary work system' only helps impose on workers longer working hours with heavier workloads. more

STOP THE WAR
* Hibakusha call for no more war and nuclear weapons (March 26)
* High school students act against Iraq war (April 1)
* JCP starts providing e-mail news to help develop anti-Iraq war movement (April 1)
* Hibakusha angry at U.S. use of DU in Iraq (March 28)
* NHK must stand for war-renouncing Article 9 in reporting Iraq war: JCP (March 31)

WARTIME LEGISLATION
* Wartime bills emerge as major political issue in local elections (March 31)
* Lawyer calls for opposition to wartime legislation (April 1)

SPY SATELLITE
* Spy satellite runs counter to use of space for peaceful purposes: JCP Ichida (March 29)

SCANDAL
* Corrupt cabinet minister resigns (April 1)

MEDICAL
* Prefectural assemblies demand a freeze on planned increase in patients' share of burden (March 26)
* 95,000 doctors and nurses will be temps at welfare services facilities (March 26)
* Persons 75 years and older will be made to pay health insurance premiums (March 29)
* Opposition parties jointly work to stop increase in patients' burden of medical costs (April 1)

ECONOMY
* Parliament enacts new fiscal year budget forcing people to pay more (March 29)
* Baseball stadiums remove loan sharks' ads (March 29)

LABOR
* 'Discretionary work system' increases unpaid-overtime work: JCP Inoue Satoshi (March 27)
* More than 25,000 are homeless in Japan (March 27)
* 124,000 workers a year disappeared from listed corporations (March 28)
* Unemployment increases in 38 prefectures under P.M. Koizumi

SIMULTANEOUS LOCAL ELECTIONS
* JCP: Vote for JCP and democratic candidates in local elections (March 27)
* Eleven gubernatorial election campaigns start (March 28)
* Simultaneous local elections are struggle to end LDP-led upside-down politics:JCP Shii (March 31)

HOME